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Lucas Herbert’s coach Dominic Azzopardi shares his insight into how the team are preparing Herbert’s body and mind to put in a strong showing at this week’s US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort.
Lucas has decided to base himself in Orlando, Florida this year and I went over midway through February and spent a month with him in the US. I was there for the WGC-Workday Championship that they played in Florida. Going into that event Lucas said that he’d never swung it so good, never hit it so good but he did a really, really poor job on that golf course of committing to hitting shots. It was a typical ‘big boy’ golf course; water down the left, bunkers, trees, lost ball right and you’ve just got to man up and hit a shot. He just wasn’t doing a good enough job of that.
The work he did on the range prior to the round was awesome, especially the first two rounds. But it’s different when you’re hitting a 6-iron to a 200-yard marker down the range with no water and no consequence. Second hole he had a 200-yard 6-iron with water right of the green and all of a sudden it’s going left into the trap short sided and he makes bogey or double. That’s where it’s having the courage to see the shot and committing to it wholeheartedly.
Lucas is coming to terms with the fact that the events that he is playing in America are around big boy golf courses and this week is going to be the same. He’s just got to do a better job of seeing a shot and committing to a shot wholeheartedly.
He’s done a good job the past six months working a lot on the mental side of the game with Jamie Glazier. Jamie was there that week of the WGC and they have done some really good work since then on that side of his game. That’s been a priority since that WGC.
An issue we are still dealing with is the fact that his body has been giving him a fair bit of trouble this year. It’s nothing major or specific but because he is such a feel player if his body is slightly different from day to day or week to week, he really struggles.
Simone Tozer has travelled with Lucas the past three years as his movement coach but Simi came back last year and did hotel quarantine, got engaged and the full-time travel was becoming too much, which is fair enough. The past six months he’s had so many different people treating him and his body has struggled with that.
We knew that a routine of hands-on treatment worked best for him but we’d gotten away from that a bit. He Monday qualified at Wells Fargo, shot 5-under, said his body felt good and then by Wednesday said his hips were in a different place, his right shoulder was different and he was struggling to swing it the way he wanted from day to day. If that’s the case, it’s difficult for him to make a score with the way he goes about it.
He’s got Luke Mackey from Golf Australia with him for the next two weeks doing hands-on treatment, very similar to what he’s had in the past, which is great. His body should be in good position and hopefully we won’t have issues there. We don’t like to have an excuse of that ever but the reality is that sometimes if your body’s not right, you can’t be doing what we want to be doing. That was certainly the case at Wells Fargo.
He can have a feel in his golf swing that lasts for three or four weeks and he takes that to the golf course each day. Every day on the range he’s creating that feel again and that feel is creating a ball flight. When his body’s changing from day to day, he’s trying to find a new feel every day, and that’s really hard. That’s when he’s not playing well.
Lucas puts so much emphasis into leaving no stone unturned when it comes to a Major and he drove three hours up to Kiawah last week to check it out. He wanted to have a look at the course, have a look at the surrounds, what he needs to work on in his game leading up to it so that when he arrived he knew exactly what to expect.
The voice message that he sent to the group after that trip was, ‘This place is awesome, love it, the surrounds are great, you’ve got to man up and hit shots off the tee but I feel like I can do that.’ It’s going to be really influenced by the wind and the weather but he liked it which is always a good thing to hear.
We’ve looked at the stats report that Tom Boys has produced for us. We know there are a lot of 175-225-yard approach shots so Lucas has been doing a lot of work on that side of the game. He knows the surrounds are tight and firm so he can practice that type of shot. That’s what Tiger did for years and Lucas finds this stuff out. What do the best in the world do to prepare? That’s what I should be looking to do if that’s going to work for me.
A PGA of Australia Member since 1996, Dominic Azzopardi runs the Performance Coaching Program at Peregian Golf on the Sunshine Coast. He is also available for online coaching via the Skillest app with various lesson subscriptions available.
Denis McDade, long-time coach of world No.37 Marc Leishman, reveals how an adjustment to his pre-shot routine turned the Victorian around and why he is excited to return to Kiawah Island for this week’s US PGA Championship.
Marc really struggled coming out of lockdown so I went over to the US and spent five weeks with him late last year to try and get to the bottom of what wasn’t working. Not being able to watch him practice and, more importantly, compete in tournaments live really restricts what a coach can pick up on but after a couple of days at the ZOZO Championship I could see something wasn’t quite right with his pre-shot routine.
In some ways I was intrigued as to why he wasn’t playing well because there was nothing in his swing mechanics that suggested we had a lot of work to do. In the first round it was obvious to me that all of his normal processes just weren’t there; he was doing some stuff around his routine and his approach to playing that I hadn’t seen him do before. Our task was to migrate back from what he was doing to what he does when he plays well. It sounds simple but it took a couple of weeks to get that happening.
Marc plays his best golf when he visualises a shot and then his routine is shaped around the shot he sees and the shot he wants to play. It’s not a rigid pre-shot routine that he repeats before every shot, his pre-shot routine is determined by the shot he has visualised hitting. He does work on improving and maintaining mechanics, but he leaves it on the range. If he ever starts thinking about things on the golf course, that’s when he starts to struggle. He was thinking far too much about what he was doing and wasn’t connected enough with the shots that he was playing.
The week before The Masters last November we played five days in a row doing the same thing over and over again. The last round we played before going to Augusta he shot a bogey-free 65 around his home course of Bayville in Virginia Beach. I thought if he continued with that process at Augusta National he would play well, and he did. Since then it’s just been making sure that he’s stayed in that mode.
The other thing that was affecting Marc was the lack of crowds at tournaments. It was amazing how quiet it was at the tournaments I attended and even the players were tempered in their reactions to good shots. These guys live to perform when the crowds are there, the energy is up and you’re in one of the leading groups but Marc also draws energy from the crowds when he’s not playing so well because there is always someone encouraging you, regardless of how you’re playing. He really missed that and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that as the crowds have returned he has looked happier out on course and his body language has been a lot better, along with his results.
I’m sure he’d be carrying some expectation of performing well this week at a golf course that he’s performed well around before. (Leishman was T27 at the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.) I’m sure he’d be quietly confident.
These weeks of a Major can be really long and Marc has gotten a lot better at managing his time and energy levels for these weeks. You often see rookies or first-timers who put so much work in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday that they’re all but cooked come Thursday morning but given his experience Marc has his routine for a Major week pretty much sorted out. When he’ll play, how much he’ll play and it will all be around being physically and mentally sharp come Sunday afternoon. Being right in the mix to win at Augusta just last month, by Sunday night he was spent. I don’t think people realise how much a golf tournament can take out of you mentally and physically. He was happy that he’d had a good week, upset that he hadn’t got the job done but he was just spent. He’s been in the hunt enough to know what it’s like at the end of a tournament and you’ve got to have a good amount of fuel in the tank come Sunday morning to get it done.
If there is a Major being played at a golf course that you haven’t performed well around, your job during that week is to work through that and work your way into the tournament to the point where you have a chance of winning. The fact of the matter is, regardless of where a Major is being played, you want to get yourself into contention because the more times you give yourself a chance, the more chance you’ve actually got of winning one.
Marc clearly has plenty of game on open, seaside golf courses. You throw wind into the mix and he’s comfortable. Regardless of the golf course or the conditions he’ll figure out a way to get it done but we know he has put in some great performances at British Opens where the conditions have been testing. If it’s firm, fast, windy and tough, he loves that. He loves the challenge and the competitive side of that. It’s what he lives for. It’s what all those guys live for. He was obviously brought up in Warrnambool where the ocean’s only a few hundred yards away. He’s really proven himself to be highly competent playing those open, exposed, links-style golf courses and I’m sure he’s looking forward to the week ahead. I look at that golf course, the open feel to the place, and I’m sure Marc’s licking his lips.
One of three principal directors at BannLynchMcDade based at Yarra Bend Golf in Melbourne, Denis McDade is a Senior Advisory Board Member of the Titleist Performance Institute and Head of TPI’s Junior Advisory Board. Denis was voted 2017’s Australian Coach of the Year, Victorian PGA Teacher of the Year in 2016 and 2001, and Australian Golf Digest Coach of the Year in 2008.
Former touring professional Dean Alaban has booked his place at the PGA Professionals Championship Final at Hamilton Island Golf Club after recording a one-stroke win at Mosman Park Golf Club in Perth on Friday.
Mosman Park GM and Head PGA Professional Tony Howell was on course to claim victory on home soil but Alaban used a birdie blitz in the middle of his round at the nine-hole layout to finish at 3-under 69, one clear of Howell with Glenn Joyner a further shot back in third place.
A regular on the Australasian and Asian tours in the early to mid-2000s, Alaban barely touched a golf club as he spent six years working on oil rigs in Malaysia and Australia but showed the benefits of devoting more time to playing and practising of late, his short game saving par on a number of occasions on the tricky Mosman Park course.
Currently based at Lakelands Country Club as the Assistant Golf Professional, the victory secures Alaban a debut appearance at Hamilton Island in September and perhaps the chance to treat his family to a long-awaited trip away.
“I dare say the wife will have a fair bit to say about that,” Alaban said when asked whether the family would be joining him.
“We go to Bali quite a bit but obviously we haven’t been able to go anywhere for quite a while now. It would be nice for us all to be able to go away together.”
Although he had never played the golf course previously, it was a somewhat familiar setting for Alaban who conducted some ladies and beginner clinics at Mosman Park shortly after completing his PGA of Australia Bridging Course.
He spent time at Royal Perth Golf Club, Joondalup Resort and worked in the retail area of the industry before landing at Lakelands under Damien Chatterley in November 2018.
With an eye on joining the seniors circuit when he turns 50, Alaban said he has been trying to squeeze in a game a week and some practise among his work and family commitments.
“I’ve got two kids who are 14 and 11 so there’s school drop off as well as shop hours and teaching so some days you don’t even get to touch a club,” Alaban conceded.
“If you work it well you might get two or three days of practise here and there. You could do more but you wouldn’t be giving any lessons and bringing in any income.
“We’re trying to play at least once a week and with a few of the local events try and get out a bit more to keep the body moving and the game sharp.
“I’ve got aspirations to go on the seniors tour so I’ve got a few more years to do that. Hopefully I can keep the body sharp. I really enjoy playing and I have a different perspective on playing now than what I used to.
“I went and worked on the oil rigs and got right away from the game and that was probably good. I realised how much I love it and enjoy it and want to be in that golfing world.
“Whether it’s professional, amateur or club just love being in that environment.”
PGA National Management Professional of the Year Josh Madden (Wembley Golf Course) was the early front-runner having reached 2-under through nine holes but four birdies in the space of five holes saw Alaban take control.
There was a dropped shot at the 16th hole but two closing pars were enough for Alaban to hold on to win, Howell’s consolation prize a spot in the 2021 Senior Australian PGA Championship.
The next of the state qualifiers is South-East Queensland at the Victoria Park Golf Complex in Brisbane on May 25 with the Victorian and North Queensland Championships to be held on May 31 at Commonwealth and Mackay golf clubs respectively.
In only its second staging the Outback Queensland Masters has sold out.
The achievement of selling out a month before tee-off across all six events comes after the inaugural 2019 event was awarded the Australia’s Best New Event at the 2020 Australian Event Awards.
Luke Bates, Golf Australia State Manager – QLD, was thrilled that so many people had signed up for the 2021 event, which will visit six towns across Outback Queensland.
“The host golf courses and their members will provide such a unique experience for all participants, we are extremely excited to see a great mix of players from across Australia converge to Outback Queensland in June and July,’’ he said.
“Of course with so many people playing this also increases the chances of the one million dollar hole in one prize going off in Longreach or a $10,000 Hole in one prize at one of the five events leading up to the finale.
“This has been an enormous team effort and we would especially like to thank our strategic partners Tourism and Events Queensland, the Queensland Government, who supported the event through the Year of Outback Tourism Events Program, and PGA of Australia.
“Support from local golf clubs and their members who so eagerly embraced the masters has been integral to this success. It could not have been staged without assistance from Banana Shire Council, Murweh Regional Council, Blackall Tambo Regional Council , Flinders Shire Council, Quilpie Shire Council and Longreach Regional Council.”
Queensland’s Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said more than 1000 players from across Australia will compete in the event, which begins on June 19 at Biloela.
“The Queensland Government, via Tourism and Events Queensland, created this unique event in 2019 in partnership with Golf Australia, to showcase Queensland’s world-class Outback experiences and drive visitors to the region,” the Premier said.
The event, which runs over six weekends from June 19 to July 25 will visit six Outback locations, including Biloela, Charleville, Quilpie, Blackall and Hughenden before concluding with the ‘Million Dollar Hole-in-One Challenge’ in Longreach.
“Selling out a month before the event kicks off demonstrates the huge pull the Outback Queensland Masters has for visitors and the strength of the concept,” the Premier said.
“Providing a boost in visitor numbers to Outback Queensland through this event couldn’t come at a better time.
“Because of Queensland’s strong response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now in a position where people feel confident to travel to events across the state, while people in other parts of the world are bunkering down for the third or fourth lockdown.”
Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the event was on par to bring great outcomes to the host Outback towns.
“In 2019, the event resulted in more than 3,800 visitor nights contributing more than $1.4 million to the outback economy,” he said.
“This year, the event is expected to contribute more than 5000 visitor nights for Outback Queensland – a strong increase from 2019.”
Bates said he was delighted that the team’s work was rewarded with a sell-out success, and added that live entertainment would include Queensland favourites, Busby Marou performing live in Biloela, leading Australian singer Casey Donavan in Quilpie and country-pop/rock star, Casey Barnes in Longreach, with further acts will be announced in the coming weeks.
SCHEDULE
19-20 June Biloela
26-27 June Charleville
03-04 July Quilpie
10-11 July Blackall
17-18 July Hughenden
23-25 July Longreach (Million dollar hole-in-one challenge)
For more information go to the website here
Experienced Tour player Scott Barr is hoping third time will be the charm when he tees it up at the PGA Professionals Championship of Western Australia at Mosman Park Golf Club on Friday.
There are some familiar names among the 30 competitors made up of Vocational Members of the PGA with 2019 winner Tim Elliott and defending champion Gavin Reed seeking a return to the Championship Final at Hamilton Island Golf Club from September 2-5.
Barr was tied for ninth at the 2019 Championship Final at Hamilton Island two years ago after finishing tied for second at the WA qualifier, a result that he replicated last year at Wembley Golf Course, finishing two shots behind Reed alongside Braden Becker and Andrew Gott.
Based at Collier Park Golf Course in South Perth and doing some teaching out of the Melville Golf Centre, Barr has begun to ramp up his own playing the past four weeks with a long-term view to joining the seniors circuit in 2022.
“I am thinking about the seniors. That’s why I didn’t want to take on too much when I came back to Perth,” said Barr, who returned to Australia in January of last year after close to 20 years living in Singapore.
“Alex Cejka won this week in America, ‘Clarkey’ (Darren Clarke) has won a bit and I knocked around with those couple of guys a lot over the years. ‘Pamps’ (Rod Pampling) is playing, ‘Sendo’ (John Senden). I played with everyone and I know I can play with everyone, just need to do it on the day.
“I’ve tried this distance exercise to try and get more distance into my game so it’s just my swing speed that I’m a little concerned with.
“I can certainly still hit it – I’m hitting it pretty good for what’s been going on.”
Ranked as high as 284 in the world during his career on the Asian and European tours with 14 top-five finishes on the Asian Tour alone, Barr is the most accomplished player in the field with the likes of Glenn Joyner, Vernon Sexton-Finck and Dean Alaban also boasting plenty of experience on tour.
Regardless of his performances in the past, Barr knows that good play and good luck will be a necessary combination at the tricky Mosman Park nine-holer on the banks of the Swan River.
“We’ve got a few pro-ams coming up over here but I haven’t played a great deal this year,” Barr conceded.
“The last four weeks I’ve started to try and hit some balls on the range and see where I’m at with it.
“I played at Mosman Park on Monday in a practice round so I think I’ll have a chance but we’ll see.
“You need a bit of luck going into these things. It’s a funky little course, up and down a hill, nine holes so I’d have to give myself a chance.
“Obviously I’d love to win it and get the all-expenses paid trip to Hamilton Island.
“If I don’t lose my head I think I’ll have a chance.”
For the majority of the field Friday represents a chance to have a hit, get the competitive juices flowing again and take time out from their daily duties at their respective golf clubs.
Reigning PGA Management Professional of the Year Josh Madden (Wembley Golf Course), WA Management Professional of the Year Tristan McCallum (Sea View Golf Club) and Outstanding Game Development of the Year winner Ackzel Donaldson (Joondalup Golf and Country Club) may be rusty but will hope to give a glimpse of some of their best stuff over the course of 18 holes.
The team of RACV Healesville are the breakaway leaders following an eye-catching round one effort at the highly anticipated 2019/20 Volkswagen Scramble Championship Final on the Sunshine Coast.
Ben Eyton-Jones, the Head Professional for the top-paced team, opened the round with six consecutive birdies, which paved the way for a dominant 18-hole performance.
Eyton-Jones applauded his teammates of Michael Bunn, Tristan Larter, Simon Richards and Declan Robinson, saying the trio “all chipped in for a strong team effort”.
“We got off to a hot start with six birdies from the first six holes” said Eyton-Jones.
“It was nice to get that practice round in yesterday to get a feel for the place as we read the greens a lot better today. Holing a few early putts was really good.”
The Volkswagen Scramble Championship Final, delayed by 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, sees mixed and six women’s teams are fighting for the coveted teams event crown.
Finishing with a round of 52.7 nett, the Victorian team has a 1.2-shot buffer ahead of second-placed teams at the Barossa Valley Golf Club and Town of 1770 Golf Club.
Meanwhile in the Women’s Championship Final, the team from Prospect Vale Golf Club – led by Head Professional Bryce Gorham, Sallie Clayton, Robyn Hatton, Robyn Jones and Cheryl Richards – combined for a nett score of 55.1, taking an impressive three-shot lead ahead of the penultimate round tomorrow.
“The girls gelled really well out there today and honestly we just had a really fun round,” said Gorham.
“It was really enjoyable just to be out there”.
“I reckon my oldest competitor, Robyn, was best on ground today. She played brilliantly and holed a few long putts and some crucial shots when we needed them.”
Hatton has competed in Volkswagen Scrambles for over 20 years and this is her first time reaching the acclaimed Championship Final.
Gorham is keen to keep the team calm and play steady ahead of tomorrow’s action, almost in the same vein as today’s conservative-minded strategy.
“Sitting nicely at the top after today, tomorrow I will go out there and try to manage my ladies as I did today and hope to be back at the top heading into the final round,” she said.
The Volkswagen Scramble Championship Final is the golfing trip of a lifetime, with participants receiving four rounds of golf at Twin Waters Golf Club, four nights’ accommodation at Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast and attend a variety of functions to celebrate their achievements across the weekend.
Round 2 of the 54-hole tournament starts at 7:15am tomorrow.
The PGA Professionals Championship will return in its traditional format of state qualifying events across Australia in 2021, giving PGA Professionals the chance to win through to the PGA Professionals Championship National Final at Hamilton Island Golf Club in September.
The series of state qualifying events will return in May and June, where 50 of the country’s leading Vocational PGA Professionals will qualify for the PGA Professionals Championship National Final to be played from 3-5 September.
Players will vie not only for the lion’s share of $55,000 in prize money at the National Final, but also two coveted positions in the Australian PGA Championship field at Royal Queensland Golf Club from 2-5 December.
Gavin Kirman, chief executive of the PGA of Australia, is looking forward to the skills of Vocational PGA Professionals again once being on show around the country.
“The last 12 months has shown just how resilient PGA Professionals can be and having our Vocational PGA Professional competing in their marquee event is further signs of a strong recovery,” said Kirkman.
“Hamilton Island has proved the perfect venue to showcase the skills of our leading PGA Professionals and since moving the event to the iconic location 10 years ago, the PGA Professionals Championship has continued to grow in stature.
“We are proud to provide the two leading PGA Professionals from the National Final the opportunity to compete in the Australian PGA Championship and form an integral part of what is expected to be a world class field.”
Seven qualifying tournaments will be held around Australia over the coming months with a variety of qualifying positions on offer at each event.
| Date | Event | Course | # National Final Qualifiers |
| Friday 14th May | PGA Professionals Championship of Western Australia | Mosman Park GC | 6 |
| Tuesday 25th May | PGA Professionals Championship of South Each QLD | Victoria Park GC | 12 |
| Monday 31st May | PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland | Mackay GC | 2 |
| Monday 31st May | PGA Professionals Championship of Victoria | Commonwealth GC | 13 |
| Tuesday 1st June | PGA Professionals Championship of NSW/ACT | Twin Creeks G&CC | 12 |
| Sunday 6th June | PGA Professionals Championship of Tasmania | Royal Hobart GC | 2 |
| Monday 21st June | PGA Professionals Championship of South Australia | Glenelg GC | 2 |
Playing alongside the 50 PGA Professionals at Hamilton Island will be 52 amateurs who will compete for the title of Hamilton Island Amateur Golf Champion. As one of the most unique and memorable golfing experiences, Hamilton Island Enterprises is excited to welcome championship golf back to the island.
“We are excited to welcome competitors back to Hamilton Island in 2021 after not being able to do so last year, and we are confident that their golfing and holiday experience will be just as good if not better than it has been pre-pandemic,” said David Boyd, Hamilton Island General Manager Retail, Activities, Marina & Concessionaires.
“Our golf course has always been memorable due to the wonderful layout and spectacular views it provides and it will again be in outstanding condition in the earlier time of September this year.
“Hamilton Island has proved itself to be well geared to keep our guests safe during the pandemic whilst continuing to provide first class service and facilities, and we are confident that this year’s tournaments will provide the perfect opportunity to reiterate this.”
For further information on the Hamilton Island Amateur Golf Championship please click here.
For all information on the PGA Professionals Championship please visit www.pga.org.au
A new program unveiled by the PGA of Australia and WPGA aims to not only provide an inviting entry point for women new to the game of golf but also showcase the female coaches who can guide them.
The Women’s Golf Network was launched at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne on March 22 and was followed by a full day of clinics and networking for 80 participants at Ballarat Golf Club.
With sponsorship from both adidas and Callaway REVA they represent the first of 12 clinics to be conducted around the country by mid-July with an expectation that more will follow in the second half of the year.
Each day consists of an adidas Performance Clinic for established golfers and the Callaway REVA Beginner Clinic for those new to the game and continues the collaboration between the PGA of Australia and the rebranded WPGA Tour.
The goals are twofold. To provide an encouraging environment for women eager to try golf for the first time and to provide a pathway for existing golfers to further their games and perhaps join the growing number of women working within the golf industry.
“Golf has seen a surge in popularity over the past 12 months but we understand that some women can find that initial introduction to the game somewhat intimidating,” says WPGA CEO Karen Lunn.
“With the Women’s Golf Network we wanted to create an opportunity for ladies to come and try golf in clinics run by our female PGA Professionals and for those girls and ladies already playing to receive expert coaching and get the most out of their golf.”
Lee Harrington completed her traineeship at Riverside Oaks in the mid-1990s and now runs The Golf School based at Palm Meadows Driving Range on the Gold Coast.
As a past board member of the ALPG and currently Director of Development for the WPGA, Harrington has no doubt that exclusively using female Professionals provides the environment that women new to the game are looking for.
States such as Queensland and New South Wales have seen increases in female participation of some 25 per cent year on year in the summer just past. Whether returning to the game or new golfers completely, the Women’s Golf Network caters to all women.
“The comment that we hear is that it is nice to spend some time with a female coach,” says Harrington.
“Every coach communicates a little bit differently but I’d like to think as female PGA Professionals we’re fairly engaging.
“For those in the adidas Performance Clinic, we conduct a clinic in the morning and then send them out onto the golf course in the afternoon.
“Those in the Callaway REVA Beginner Clinic join us for lunch and networking, participate in a clinic with our coaches and then we all finish together with networking drinks.”
Currently making up just six per cent of all PGA Professionals in Australia, the Women’s Golf Network also serves as a showcase of female coaches, PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman hopeful that number will increase significantly in the coming years.
“In order to have more female coaches we need more women playing the game so the Women’s Golf Network is first and foremost a way to encourage more female golfers,” Kirkman says.
“But as their journey in golf continues we hope that they will see the opportunities available to them within the golf industry, one of which is to undertake our Member Pathway Program and one day move into coaching themselves.
“The industry has recognised that greater engagement with women is integral to the future health of our sport and a big part of that is having talented and accomplished female coaches at our golf clubs.”
Given such significant growth within the female sector the past year Harrington believes more clubs than ever recognise the value that having more women at their facilities represents to the business.
“Overall I think clubs as a business understand the value of the female and the family more than they ever have,” says Harrington.
“That’s good for the bottom line and good for getting more women and beginners into the game.”
The Women’s Golf Network aims to inspire women to play golf by showcasing female professional golfers; providing a warm environment to play golf and the opportunity to network with like-minded women. The Women’s Golf Network mantra is to be inspired, have fun, play golf. The next Women’s Golf Network event will be held at Royal Canberra Golf Club on Monday, April 19 with further clinics to be held in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. www.womensgolfnetwork.com.au
Women’s Golf Network schedule
April 19 Royal Canberra GC
April 26 Latrobe GC
May 9 Bunbury GC
May 13 Wembley GC
May 20 The Grange GC
May 24 The Lakes GC
June 3 Long Reef GC
June 6 Coolangatta & Tweed Heads GC
July 11 Windaroo Lakes GC
TBC Moore Park GC
PGA of Australia coach Gareth Jones doesn’t expect Japan will have to wait another 86 years for a male Major champion following Hideki Matsuyama’s historic one-stroke victory at Augusta National Golf Club.
Ever since Walter Hagen invited six Japanese players to America for exhibition matches and to compete at the 1935 US Open the golf-mad nation of Japan has been waiting for a male champion to call their very own.
Two female Japanese players have tasted Major glory (Chako Higuchi and Hinako Shibuno) but with Matsuyama’s breakthrough Jones believes there will be a flood of talent to come out of Japan with an elevated sense of self belief.
Based at Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide when home in Australia, Jones has served as the National Coach for the Japan Golf Association since October 2015 and has no doubt that – just like Adam Scott did for his fellow Aussies – Matsuyama’s win will inspire the next wave of Japanese golfers to chase equally lofty goals.
“It says that it’s possible. We can actually win in America and win a Major championship,” Jones said.
“The great thing hopefully is that it has taken the heat off the young guys that I’m working with so they’re not having to be the first one.
“It’s incredible to be the first – just like Adam Scott for Australia – but my thought is that they will see it as a massive confidence boost for themselves.
“It’s going to open the possibilities for the elite players to believe in themselves more and hopefully for more of them to want to go overseas.
“These young guys can see that they are only a few years behind Hideki. He was brave enough to go straight to the States and base his career high – which most of the young guys in our team want to do.
“It will certainly stimulate a focus in that area. Hopefully I can keep them going in the right direction and not just hitting thousands of golf balls each day.
“It’s a trap that they can certainly fall into because their work ethic is phenomenal.”
The impact of Jones on the Japanese system was evident at the 2018 Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney where amateurs Keita Nakajima and Takumi Kanaya finished inside the top 20.
Kanaya was tied for third at The Australian Golf Club 12 months later and is currently vying to partner Matsuyama in the Japan team at the Tokyo Olympics, leading the next wave of Japanese golfers ready to take on the world.
“Takumi Kanaya is very special,” said Jones, who will attend the Olympics with world No.118 Kanaya should he qualify for the Japanese team.
“I don’t think he’s as good a ball-striker as Hideki but he’s an awesome player.
“We know Seve Ballesteros as more of a player than a pure ball-striker and Takumi is like that. He has a massive spirit inside him that acts as his 15th club. He just absolutely never gives up. It’s just really different.
“Japan has got lots of very good players, they all just need to have the confidence to go overseas.
“I’ve been pretty impressed with the standard of scores at the Japan Junior Championships or Japan Amateur Championships. The scoring is phenomenal.
“So many players try to go to tour school, so many players try to qualify for the Japan Open, so many players try to qualify for the Japan amateur. They have eight qualifying tournaments for the Japan Amateur alone.
“To see what Hideki did at the Asian Amateur (winning in 2010 and 2011) and then Takumi do it (winning in 2018) and now for Hideki to actually win The Masters, that’s a massive motivation for the Japanese players.
“They’re really seeing that now as the pathway to international golf.”
As for the reaction back in Japan, Jones expects it will rival the likes of Greg Norman in his heyday in Australia and Tiger Woods when at the peak of his powers.
“He’s a rock star,” Jones said of Matsuyama’s status in his homeland.
“Golf is massive over there. There would be half a dozen weekly golf magazines and then all the monthly magazines on top of that and then the online stuff. It’s full-on all the time.
“If Hideki’s face isn’t on two of the magazines each and every week I’d be very surprised.
“They really do put them on a pedestal and treat them like gods but with that comes a lot of pressure to perform.
“The impact is going to be massive.”
Sanctuary Cove PGA Professional Michael Jones doesn’t seek out the spotlight. His father Keith, a country rugby league legend in the north-west of New South Wales, once told him that he would be better served letting others tell him how well he was performing.
That his two star pupils finished atop the respective PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit lists exhibiting very similar attributes is perhaps no surprise.
Approaching his 47th birthday, Brad Kennedy was a convincing winner of the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit while 44-year-old ACT native Matt Millar took out the PGA Tour of Australasia Pro-Am Series Order of Merit.
In an age of excess length and power, Kennedy and Millar are testimony that golf is a game of how many, not how.
In the past 12 months Kennedy has made his PGA TOUR debut and teed it up at the WGC-Workday Championship while Millar used the exemptions earned by winning the 2018 PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year award to play two WGC events in 2019.
Both have been working with Jones for more than a decade and their coach’s greatest reward is seeing their success rather than any accolades of his own.
“I’ve never really gone out to be the big tour-pro coach but I’d like to think that the guys I have coached have improved and got to places where maybe they didn’t think they might get to,” said Jones.
“My old man was a really good rugby league player and he drilled it into me, ‘Let somebody else tell you how good you’re going.’”
Jones himself played rugby league growing up in Newcastle and incorporates a team mentality within his approach to golf coaching.
He invites other experts in particular fields to impart their knowledge on his players, introducing renowned English performance coach Dave Alred to Kennedy some seven years ago.
It’s an unselfish approach that Jones believes is essential in the modern game.
“There’s a lot of stuff that I have got out of footy that I put into my golf coaching,” Jones explained.
“It’s that team mentality because pro golf these days is not an individual sport. It’s a team sport and you’ve got to have every person on board and singing from the same hymn sheet.
“I’m not the complete book of encyclopaedias. I’ve got a sports science degree but when it comes to mental performance or equipment I have to go out and source qualified advice that everybody agrees on.
“I’d like to think that the contributions made by all those people has made a big difference to Matty’s and Brad’s careers.”
And while the juniors he coaches at Sanctuary Cove are attracted to the power game exhibited by the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, Jones believes they would be better served taking note of how the likes of Kennedy and Millar construct a round of golf.
“I teach people how to play golf, not how to swing a golf club,” Jones added.
“Matty winning the PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year a couple of years ago showed that there is more than one way to skin a cat.
“A lot of kids and their parents stand at the driving range focused only on how far they can hit it. It would be great for them to see how Brad or Matt puts a round together and that it’s a lot more than just how far they can hit it.
“Sometimes I think juniors should look more closely at guys like Matty and Brad and appreciate what they can do because often they have better scores than the bombers.”
Season highlights:
Brad Kennedy
Won PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit ($302,480)
Won New Zealand Open
Won The Players Series Victoria
T41 ZOZO Championship
T61 WGC-Workday Championship
Matthew Millar
Won PGA Tour of Australasia National Pro-Am Order of Merit ($37,130)
Won Blitz Golf Glenelg
Won Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am
Won Yenda Pro-Am
Won B&C Plumbing Charity Pro-Am
Won Ron Crouch Transport Wagga Wagga Pro-Am
